Part of the Providence University CollegePublic Lecture Series 2014, a community service for the general public. Admission is free – no registration is required.

The current cultural standards of female physical beauty have become as extreme as they are artificial. Yet they retain the power to bind both body and spirit, stifling the possibility of a secure sense of self, and resulting in harms ranging from the sexualization of young girls, to eating disorders, to the distortion of authentic sexual relationship. We will examine the historical processes by which these standards have evolved to the present day, and their consequences for girls and women as well as boys and men, making this topic as relevant for men as it is for women. Having understood the nature and scope of the problem, finding a redemptive way forward is possible.

Part of the Providence University CollegePublic Lecture Series 2014, a community service for the general public. Admission is free – no registration is required.

The current cultural standards of female physical beauty have become as extreme as they are artificial. Yet they retain the power to bind both body and spirit, stifling the possibility of a secure sense of self, and resulting in harms ranging from the sexualization of young girls, to eating disorders, to the distortion of authentic sexual relationship. We will examine the historical processes by which these standards have evolved to the present day, and their consequences for girls and women as well as boys and men, making this topic as relevant for men as it is for women. Having understood the nature and scope of the problem, finding a redemptive way forward is possible.